the word that always springs to
mind is d e s t r o y — hot fire
licks my soot-clogged throat,
sluggish cells struggle upstream
in syrupy veins, & the perpetually
peeking sun drowns me like a
rash & sloppy pour inspired by
tepid dreams, icy shame, & a
half-forgotten past that haunts
me despite its vital tendencies:
invisible but rife with deafening
echoes of electric pain, the silhouette
of a once-fresh chain of candied
bones glued nub to dusty nub with
all the art room paste I ever ate.
— STEPHEN GROUND
Stephen Ground is a writer, filmmaker, and picture-taker currently based in Treaty Six Territory [Edmonton, Canada]. His writing and artwork is featured or forthcoming in many online and print publications including Maudlin House, WIREWORM, Rejection Letters, Edmontonland, and the 2021 Best Small Fictions anthology.